Jusqu'à la limite de soi. Notes de terrain sur la transe près d’une petite ville italienne

Excess and the search for one’s limits are central themes in my work, which consists of a study of a contemporary Italian ritual whose anthropological understanding presents a real challenge. This is particularly evident in the study of the Processione del Cristo Morto, a ceremony held every year on the night of Good Friday in the city of Civitavecchia. The procession is composed of several sections, the most enigmatic of which is formed by the penitents: they are dressed in white, with a pointed hood that hides their faces, and they walk barefoot with chains for several hours. No one knows their identity, and the entire city takes part in silence, observing this rite of passage. The qualitative research I conducted in 2013 investigated the motivations behind the penitents’ participation: the analysis revealed a practice of trance, of surpassing one’s capacities, and of demonstrating control over pain to the point of losing oneself, resulting in a profound regeneration. Pushing beyond one’s limits provides confirmation of the reference points of everyday life, to which the individual returns after the experience with a renewed vision of themselves and their life.